Benefits of Active Transportation

40% of all trips made in the United States are shorter than 2 miles in length.

Students living 2 miles or less from school could bike to school in 20 minutes or less.

According to the CDC, children should complete at least 60 minutes of aerobic physical activity each day.

According to the CDC, adults should complete at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity OR 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic physical activity each week.

Benefits to ResidentsIn a time of increasing obesity and the associated health complications, enabling people to safely walk and bike as part of their normal, daily routine has profound benefits on individual health and well-being. For students, walking or biking to and from school builds exercise into a child’s daily routine. Parents who walk or bike with their children for all or part of their trip also benefit from the physical activity.

Incorporating active transportation into a person's daily life eliminates the need for them to make an extra effort to be more physically active. Physical activity has also been shown to improve mental health, and in schools physical activity improves students’ concentration, grades, and test scores.

Benefits to CommunitiesThe benefits of Active Transportation improvements and programs for communities as a whole are significant. Active Transportation efforts can help improve local air quality around schools and in neighborhoods, reduce traffic congestion (a significant problem near many schools at drop-off and pick-up times), improve the overall safety of neighborhood streets, and lead to an improvement in overall health and quality of life of community residents, and livability of communities as a whole.Benefits to SchoolsEducating, encouraging, and enabling students to walk and bike to and from school can reduce the need for expensive bus transportation provided by the school district. This means that more of the school’s financial resources can be spent on classroom and educational resources for students, and not on transportation.